The packaging industry utilizes a variety of devices for handling, processing, and packaging products. In packaging a particular product, it is common for products to be fed from a first handling machine to a second handling machine. At times, the feed rate of the first handling machine may exceed the feed rate of the second handling machine. Additionally, the first handling machine may have an irregular feed rate. To accommodate the above situations, it is common to place a buffering apparatus between the first and second machines. The buffering apparatus is equipped to accumulate products for short periods of time and to feed products to the second machine at a controlled rate.
There currently is a need for a buffering device that is reliable and relatively inexpensive to manufacture. There is also a need for a buffering device capable of handling products that are not uniform in shape or consistency. There is further a need for a buffering device that includes means for rejecting products from a products line should equipment downstream from the buffering device fail to operate. Furthermore, what is needed is a buffering device that occupies a minimal amount of floor space. Moreover, what is needed is a dependable buffering device having stacking capabilities. Additionally, what is needed is a buffering device that can be powered by any number of different drive mechanisms such as clutch and brake motors, stepper motors, and servo motors. The present invention addresses these needs as well as other needs.